Medjugorje: No verdict yet, but faith, conversions abound

A woman prays against a crucifix on Apparition Hill in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, June 25. Millions of pilgrims from all over the world have visited the site where six village children first claimed to see Mary in June 1981. (CNS photo/Dado Ruvic, Reuters)

A very generous benefactor found out that after 10 years of writing for the Catholic press, I’d never been to Medjugorje, the site of purported Marian apparitions. The next thing I knew, a travel itinerary was delivered to my inbox.

Just before departing, a devout Catholic friend told me I should be visiting Fatima or Lourdes instead. He questioned the authenticity of the apparitions in the former Yugoslavia. Another dear friend, a priest, forwarded an anti-Medjugorje article from Crisis Magazine that featured a picture of a wolf in sheep clothing.

Recalling my late parents’ admonition to ‘never look a gift-horse in the mouth’, I decided to check out Medjugorje for myself.

I knew even before making sure my seat was in a fully upright and locked position — it took five planes and a two-hour van ride to reach our destination — that the Church has neither officially condemned nor approved the activities at Medjugorje, other than saying that parishes or dioceses should not sponsor pilgrimages. The late Blessed John Paul II was reportedly a supporter of the Medjugorje visionaries.

Allow me to cut to the chase: I did not see the Blessed Virgin Mary during my week-long visit. The links on my rosary beads did not turn to gold, nor did I see the sun spinning.

What I can say is that I was absolutely stunned by the outpouring of faith and heartfelt devotion I encountered. Our visit took place during the 31st anniversary of what the reputed visionaries say was their first encounter with Our Lady back on June 24, 1981. The village was inundated with thousands of pilgrims from all over the globe.

Indisputable fruits

Every day there were long lines for confession, where priests heard penitents tell their sins in more than a dozen languages, some I’d never even heard of before. Masses were jammed and reverent. Every night at 10 p.m. the amphitheater was packed with over 15,000 pilgrims who came to adore the Eucharist.

Even with such an enormous crowd, there was utter silence as the King of Kings was venerated. We knelt there in the gravel and I felt myself overcome with emotion. In the midst of such a huge crowd, packed with the sick and infirm, pilgrims of every age, and religious sisters from around the world dressed in their various habits, it seemed I was just a tiny speck, entirely insignificant in this vast sea of faithful.

It was then that I felt the Lord whisper a word of love to me that I — I who am so undeserving — am indeed precious to Him. A love beyond understanding filled my heart as tears streamed down my cheeks, so that even now as I write these words, I am brought back to that moment of profound peace. Our God loves us in spite of ourselves.

I saw fellow pilgrims climb barefoot up a 1,700-foot peak, praying the Stations of the Cross, oblivious to the sharp rocks they trod. One man was missing a leg and was making the climb using metal crutches.

I met a pediatrician and her dentist husband, who met during the Bosnian war in the 1990s when they both worked to save the children coming out of the refugee camps. They are sponsoring one of the dozens of kids who live in Medjugorje’s orphanages. I listened to former drug addicts who live in a community dedicated to helping men and women break free from the bondage of addiction. Theresa Burke, the founder of Rachel’s Vineyard, a ministry that helps women wounded by abortion, received her inspiration from Medjugorje.

The message of Medjugorje is simple. It’s a call to conversion: Pray the rosary daily from the heart. Fast on bread and water on Wednesdays and Fridays or perform some other penitential act. Read the Bible. Receive the Eucharist frequently and go to confession monthly.

If more Catholics lived that way, we would surely have more peace, stronger families and an increase in vocations. I’m all for that.

58 COMMENTS

“It was then that I felt the Lord whisper a word of love to me that I — I who am so undeserving — am indeed precious to Him. A love beyond understanding filled my heart as tears streamed down my cheeks, so that even now as I write these words, I am brought back to that moment of profound peace. Our God loves us in spite of ourselves.”

Joyce, you got in one! In spite of our sinfulness we are loved by God. It’s the most important thing to know and understand – and accept. This was God’s gift to you at Medjugorje. He gave it to me in the same way 12 years ago.

I just saw your note about medjugorje,I was there
March 1990 that was some thing for me. I did not know
anything about it,my idea was to go to Fatima but
had a chance to on this trip,it was something. I would
like very much to have the photo of Our Blessed mother
Sincerly Lori
God Bless you

Dear Tony, Would you kindly send me a copy of your photo? I will be happy to send you money for this cost to you. I appreciate this and if you can’t, I fully understand. God Bless you and thank you.
Bonnie Kendrigan
2 Damien Drive
Wareham, MA 02571

What a beautiful witness to the mystical grace of Medjugorje that is so uniquely personal to each person who goes on pilgrimage there. My first pilgrimage to Medjugorje was ten years ago on the anniversary of the apparitions. I went expecting nothing and left having experienced every grace humanly possible. Since that journey of faith and conversion, I have returned to Medjugorje three more times and have continued to receive so many spiritual gifts. Just the realization of how much God loves each one of us, as if we are only children, is enough grace to last a life time. Thank you for writing this very special article. It is a work of love.

Thank you for your witness Joyce. My family and I have also experienced the good fruits of Medjugorje. We have all come closer to God and my sister came back to the Church after several years away. For anyone who is interested, there is a Marian Conference in August this year in Phoenix.For more information go to http://www.mirarizona.org/

This is a very wonderful story! In the year 2000, I went there on a Pilgrimage. It was out of curiousity that I went. I took too long to make up my mind to go and the plane seats filled before I made reservations to to. One day as I prayed the Rosary, I noticed the medal on which I pray the “Hail Holy Queen” had turned gold! I called the person who was in charge of the Pilgrimage. I was told there was no room, but took my name in case there was a cancellation. Later there were two cancellations and I invited my daughter-in-law to go too. It was a wonderful experience, much like a Spiritual Retreat. I told God I did not expect anything special since I Believed without Seeing. On our last day there, I saw the Miracle of the Sun! A lady who had an Irish accent heard me describing to my ken, what I saw and she told me she saw the same thing. That was a confirmation to me and I was in such awe about how great our God is!!

I want to add to my comment; I really can’t see how the Vatican will oppose proclaiming Medjugorje as a Srhine to our Blessed Mother, because of all the good fruits that have come from there. Since my Pilgrimage there, I pray more Rosaries then I have in my life!!! Sincerely, Magdalen Mauldin

THANKS YOU JOYCE FOR THE BEAUTIFUL ARTICLE YOU WROTE ABOUT MEDJUGORI I WENT THERE JUST THIS YEAR IN MAY FOR 10 DAYS WITH MY CHURCH,LOVED THE EXPERIENCE OF WHAT I FELT THERE.PEACE AND TRANQUILITY. AS THE OTHER POSTED THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME THERE,AND I’M THINKING SERIOUSLY OF GOING BACK AGAIN.

I COULDN’T BELIEVE ALL THE PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT LANDS COMING THERE,AND BEING DEVOTED TO OUR BLESSED MOTHER.JUST THINK WITH ALL THOSE PEOPLE THERE,WHY IS THE WORLD IN SUCH A SITUATION THAT’S IT IN????????? WISH ALL COULD GO TO MEDJUGORIA AND SEE FOR THEMSELVES. THE PEOPLE LIVING THERE WERE VERY FAITHFUL & HOSPITABLE, TO THE PILGRIMS,I CAN SEE WHY OUR LADY COMES TO THEM.

THANKS YOU JOYCE FOR THE BEAUTIFUL ARTICLE YOU WROTE ABOUT MEDJUGORI I WENT THERE JUST THIS YEAR IN MAY FOR 10 DAYS WITH MY CHURCH,LOVED THE EXPERIENCE OF WHAT I FELT THERE.PEACE AND TRANQUILITY. AS THE OTHER POSTED THIS WAS MY FIRST TIME THERE,AND I’M THINKING SERIOUSLY OF GOING BACK AGAIN.

My wife and I made a pilgrimage to Medjuorje in 2006 after my wife had received all of her sacraments in coming back to the faith. We were fortunate to have my mother offer to take us as she had been to Medjugorje once before. The fruits of our pilgrimage are still coming in, thus far we attribute the conception and birth of our three sons to be a miracle as we were told we could never have children. It was also on this pilgrimage that I felt God’s call to service and thankfully have been in discernment and formation for the permanent diaconate for three years now, God willing I will be ordained in the fall of 2014.

We experienced many things during our pilgrimage which have forever changed our lives. We are grateful for the gift of Medjugorje, for the gift of Our Lady and for her intercession.

I read a couple of things the Seers said that the Blessed mother allegedly said that all religions are good and
to respect all religions and they are all valid…
So isn’t this HERESY ?
Arent we supposed to help people find the true God the son of the Blessed Mother instead of saying oh well this person is worshipping a rock or a false idol and welll
HEY THATS OK . that is the message I got from reading the
“messages” no message sounds authentic and I have read many apparition messages from all over the world from all times and never have I heard the Blessed Mother say hey
ITS ALL GOOD. this is Universalism and its WRONG
there is only one true religion the true faith and its not Muslim or Buddist etc etc so Medijugorje NO WAY

My understanding is that she said the MEMBERS of all faiths are equal in God’s eyes. Not the religions, the people. It IS true God loves all of us and wants all of us to go to heaven. The difficulty that some Catholics have had with this answer is based on the belief that the only salvation is within the Catholic Church. But the Catholic Church does not believe this. In fact, Vatican II in its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church “Lumen Genitum” says this: “Those also can attain to salvation who through no fault of their own do not know the Gospel of Christ or His Church, yet sincerely seek God, and moved by grace strive by their deeds to do His will as it is known to them through the dictates of conscience. Nor does Divine Providence deny the helps necessary for salvation to those who, without blame on their part, have not yet arrived at an explicit knowledge of God and with His grace strive to live a good life.”

You have your facts and what you think Our Lady said dead wrong. Go to the source, read her actual transcripts of the messages. Then you will see the error in your interpretation. Our Lady does not preach heresy. You saw heresy by your pre-judging the authenticity of Medjugorge, based on false information. Remember, this is private revelation and, even with Fatima, Lourdes, Akita, Guadeloupe, Catholics are not obliged to accept their truth, even if they are approved by the Church. But before you go condemning something you,obviously are mis-informed about, get the facts. What you state as “heresy” is “hearsay”. Pray the Rosary and receive Jesus in the Eucharist. The Liturgy, sacraments, the Eucharist. . . these are the fullness of the Catholic Faith. True apparitions are the cherry on top of the chocolate cake, so to speak.

There is so much misunderstanding and misinterpretation of Medjugorje messages. Our Lady never said, all religions are good, she said she loves all people no matter what their religious belief is, and so does Jesus. I was there in 1987 and saw such an amazing spirituality in the atmosphere and the people, that I believe it is Our Lady and know it will be approved as an apparition one day. My own personal experiences were such that I could never deny her holy presence there

I am so glad that she saw the “fruits” and was not given the grace or opportunity to see the sun spin, the links of her rosary beads turn to gold, or see the Blessed Mother. The true fruits of Medjugorje that she saw for her first time will impact her for the rest of her life. So many have been there and have experienced the external phenomena but it does not remain with them for long. May she travel back again and receive even more Grace!

Heresy?.NO. Universalism? I think it is your owm made up disbelief. The Gospa/Our Lady Queen of Peace said in one message; and I am paraphrasing:”My son did not make religions…. man did … and they are devisive. Can’t you see the destruction the religious wars Iraq and U.S. have havocked? Read Medjugorje Day by Day by Richard J. Beyer; a Priest. I went there three times. Pope John Paul II said he would have visited had he not been Pope. Pope Benedict went incognito. Listen to what the Church says. They have investigated all 6 visionaries and have found it a sound place to pilgrimage to. Take care of false pride. We/Catholics are not the ‘chosen people’ we are all God’s Children.

I would like to start with: Take whatever Michael Brown of spiritdaily with a huge grain of salt. My Pastor agrees with me that he is ‘Apocalypse Crazy’.In the book: Queen of the Cosmos by Jan Connell the visionaries say that Our Lady never talks of the ‘end times.’ I found the message Our Lady gave to the children in 1985:
Fr. Byer prefaces the message with this: Today Our Lady speaks of our equality in God’s sight. In the context of the cure of an Orthoodox child, she said:

“Tell this priest, tell everyone that it is you who are divided on earth. The Muslims and the Orthodox, for the same reason as Catholics, are equal before my Son and I. You are all my children.

Clearly, all religions are not equal, but all men are equal before God, as St. Paul says. It does not suffice to belong to the Catholic church to be saved; it is also necessary to respect the commandments of God while following your conscience.”

This analysis, prepared by a French bishop at the request of his fellow bishops, shows the non-existence in the public record of any ecclesiastical support (local, Bishops Conference of the former Yugoslavia or Roman) for the authenticity of Medjugorje. This history, combined with the Roman sanctioning of two priests close to the event, should be a cautionary tale for those whose private opinions have lead them to other conclusions.

Be careful not to throw the baby out with the bathwater! Ever heard of Judas Iscariot? Jesus chose him as one of the original 12 apostles and yet, by free will, he chose Satan over Jesus. Peter denied Jesus three times. By his free will he chose to repent and ask forgiveness and continued to follow Jesus and preach the Gospel. Had Judas done as Peter had done he may have been known now as St. Judas, not Judas, the traitor. Do these two examples mean that Jesus was NOT the Messiah? Absolutely not. Jesus is Lord.

After being able to look at the sun, in Medjugorje, without any sunglasses and my eyes not tearing up, seeing my roommate’s rosary turn to gold overnight, and just the total conversion of my heart I choose to believe. I had my eyes examined for glasses and out of curiosity I asked the Dr. to check if I had any retinal damage. NO! Yes, the Church is (and well should be) cautionary in sanctioning many events of late, including Medjurgoje. We are not bound by cannon law or the Church to believe. Faith tells me to believe. Because all the miracles worked there… over 500… are not why I believe. I believe because all three experiences took me back to the faith of my childhood. Clair

What “lady” are you referring to? Not The Blessed Mother, it seems. If you are referring to the lady in the article who is kneeling before a cross appearing to be in prayer then what do you mean by “she would know the same results”. How do you know what she knows? How do you know what God knows? How do you know she did not receive blessings, graces, petition(s) answered? Not all “fruits” are instantaneous miracles. Some “fruits” are like a seed planted in fertile ground. It may take years or a life time to come to fruition. If all things are possible with God why conclude that because this has been happening for 30 years it is a “hoax”? After all, isn’t the most important thing in this whole world is that each soul goes to Heaven after death? What could possibly be more important to you than that?

Fred, the lady in the picture is at the cross on Apparation Hill and if she is feeling and thinking as I did on my first and every other visit since then she is heart broken and saying “Jesus forgive me a sinner”. like me and countless others our Holy Mother has brought her to the Cross. All those that I know who have been to Medjugorje never forget that they are sinners. Give Medjugorje a go Fred and you will go home full of the love and the grace of God and what Medjugorje gives in abundance PEACE. The most wonderful feeling God can give us and you’ll never stop praying and giving thanks.

Fred. Are you Catholic and discerning these apparitions? The “Lady” never kneels she stands. She is bringing messages to this troubled world of peace,reconciliation with one’s fellow man through the prayer, penance, fasting and conversion of ways. Read “Queen of the Cosmos” written by a lawyer (Jan Connell) who was a non believer until she visited Medjugorje herself and in her “lawlerly fashion” questioned all six visionaries. Thirty years of the invitation to peace and trust in God is mercy on we poor sinners. Clair

The conversions and fruits you speak of are not because of Our Lady appearing there OR because of Medjugorge…..they are because of the SACRAMENTS. The children changing their stories so often will prove the “Lady” part as a hoax, but what ALL need to realize, the conversions and fruits WOULD have happened to any pilgrim going to Fatima or Lourdes also. I went to Fatima. Simply put, most of the “conversion” stories here and elsewhere speak of long lines at the confessional, devotions that are of course, ALREADY there at their local church (Provided it is a GOOD, orthodox Catholic Church…very hard to find sometimes in our parts) and the conversion would be have been total and complete from right here at home. The vast numbers of “fruits” due to these pilgrimages are those that have never by their own admissions, frequented the sacraments or lived that deep devotion to Our Lord before. It sure helps when you feel the joy of many others around you praying for and introducing you to it. That is a powerful feeling, but could have happened in Fatima or Lourdes also. Medjugorje is a diversion from the real and serious messages of Fatima. (A holy priest named Fr. Val Rykowski from Detroit) said this over and over before he died…but I will say, God and his Mother cannot be outdone, they CAN divert the attentions of the people away from seers and BACK TO themselves wherever that may be. I believe that is what you are seeing in Medjugorje now. The fruits of the Holy Spirit and not any apparition. No propagation until the Church decides….should be the faithful example of all CATHOLICS. Including Michael Brown, Rene Laurentin, or any other member Cardinal or layperson of the Holy Mother Church. Wait and pray. Do not propagate, not yet.

I take issue with you putting Michael Brown and Rene Laurentin on the same level of expertise. Rene Laurentin is a world renown expert on Our Lady and Marian Apparitions and the saints, such as St. Bernadette. Michael Brown is not a priest or religious. He is a spiritual “sensationalist” who is constantly trying to stir up the idea that the end of the world, Armageddon, is close at hand. Even Jesus said that only The Father knows when that will happen. Michael Brown should be viewed with extreme discernment in his writings regarding, signs, warnings,prophesies, etc. He is running a business akin to “spiritual tabloid-ism.” Most of his best articles come from independent, reliable sources. The articles he writes himself, and his books, in my opinion, leave much to be desired in the way of truth.

Clair,
No, you are not BOUND by the Catholic Church to believe in any apparition, approved or unapproved but you will be putting your faith in danger, on a slippery slope, should the Church decide (with the HOLY SPIRIT) guiding her that Our Lady never appeared there. Church is infallible. We are not. We are reeking of disobedience if we are already NOW to rule out our Holy Church’s decision no matter what “our heart” feels. Feelings can be tricked by the devil. You are beautifully converted and feel the fruits of the rosaries you prayed, the benedictions you offered, the masses you entered into. That is simple. It was God. In his way. Doesn’t matter the city or town. Let the Church decide.

Brigette,
I agree with Paula Marie Bernadette re: Michale Brown and the vast difference of credence with comparing him with Rene Laurentin Where did you find that the children have been changing their stories? In fact the fact finding by many people who have (during the Communist Regime interrogated the children)/ to those who have interviewed the Children find no discrepancies in their portrayal of what they have seen. Again I urge you to read Queen of the Cosmos where Jan Connell/Lawyer interviews each visionary separately. Interestingly enough there is a book out: Fatima and Medjugorje. I never said “we ARE bound by the Catholic Church to believe in any apparition, or approved or unapproved . . . ” you did. I agree (and again I refer to Visions of the Children [Author and attorney Jan Connell] & Queen of the Cosmos)that feelings can be tricked by the devil. I am sorry you are so dead set against the messages of Our Lady Queen of Peace to all of God’s children that go hand in hand in with scripture. Turn to God. Pray and receive the Sacraments, Pray the Rosary, conversion of sinful ways, confession and fasting. These are not contraindicated with any Church teaching(s).

Your statement and, obviously belief in the following:”Medjugorje is a diversion from the real and serious messages of Fatima. (A holy priest named Fr. Val Rykowski from Detroit) said this over and over before he died…”, is open to discernment. One, in your opinion “holy” priest does not speak “from the Chair of Peter”. That was his personal opinion and it would seem he does not approve of Medjugorje. That doesn’t mean that he is correct. And I disagree with this priest; the messages of Fatima, which, apparently he did believe, are in no way contradictory or “a diversion from the real and serious messages of Fatima.” To quote you, “No propagation until the Church decides.”
Fr. Val Rykowski from Detroit, R.I.P., does not speak for the Church, he speaks for himself.

This question is directed to a learned theologian familiar with the the Roman Catholic Church’s position on private revelation. QUERY: In private revelation, even if deemed “worthy of belief” such as Fatima, Lourdes, Akita, Guadeloupe, La Salette, and others, we as Catholics are not bound to accept the apparitions as true. So, is the reverse true too? For example, if The Vatican should declare that the apparitions at Medjuorje “are not worthy of belief” is it a “sin” to personally believe in the veracity of the non-approved apparitions? My guess is that it is probably NOT a sin, since the non-belief in an approved apparition is not a sin either. I am thinking that the approval or dis-approval has to do with whether or not Church sanctioned pilgrimages, Feast Days in the name of the apparition(s)are valid,naming churches, chapels after said apparition(s), etc. is allowed or not allowed. OK, all you learned theologians and priests who actually know the answer let’s get some input here. By some of the comments, it seems that some folks are under the impression that it would be sinful to believe, in your heart, in the veracity of apparitions, inner-locutions, private revelations, not approved by the Vatican is a “sin”.
Holy Spirit send someone knowledgeable on this point to set us all straight. Amen.

I answer in the affirmative: It is a sin to believe and visit a place of unapproved private revelations.

Why? Disobedience. No man can hold an opinion contrary to the Magisterium once it has made its judgment known. To say otherwise is to claim that you know better than the Church.

Since this is not a matter of Divine Revelation and the Deposit of Faith, the Church can make mistakes, but it is not up to you, me, or anyone else to proclaim Holy Mother Church to be in error. The competence to review a case lies with the Ecclesiastical Authority (and it alone) with the jurisdiction over the matter.

Hope and faith are never a sin. They work hand in hand to help get us to our end result – our Lord and heaven. We go to Medjugorje with hope and faith. Let the Lord, and our Lady, handle the church and the direction of their approval or disapproval. Don’t miss an oppurtunity because of “what may be” and don’t be too quick to over-interpret events. Enjoy the wonder of what is happening there and follow the messages. The future will be here soon enough. In Christ, Amen.

…it is not enough that Jesus suffered a horrible passion because of our sin to show how much God loves us… some people need the mother of God to appear to them on a daily basis to tell them they are loved by God…what you hear quite often is that Mary is appearing just for “US”…or for her children..as if we are the centre of the universe and the virgin Mary is reserving herself just for us…it sounds quite self centred….it is interesting that the apparitions so called started at the begginning of the eighties….the message you hear in quite a subtle way is that Mary is appearing for “ME”..or I owe “MY’ conversion to this place..it is all about what I got out of it and it doesnt matter what anyone else has to say I am right because what i feel makes me an authority….it is not for nothing that they call the eighties the “ME” generation…remember the devil fell from grace because he said “I” will not serve…. it is also interesting that padre pio said another name for satan is “ME”..mine or I…as in I want this or that in opposition to what God wants for me….it is not enough that we are told by the bishop here that there is no apparition of course someone who is in love with themself will not listen to anyone but themself….it goes without saying…what many in medjugorje are experiencing is not love of God or Mary or Jesus but love of themselves….that is why if medjugorje dies their relationship with themselves will suffer..and this is why they defend it so vehemently it becomes PERSONAL…because medjugorje offers these people another outlet with which to love themselves…… http://medjugorje1.blogspot.ca/

Medjugorje is a hoax by the devil. When the church declares this vision false, it will split the church in two and will cause fanatic believers to say they don’t care what the church says and go against the pope.

I know that there are lots of pro and con opinions concerning Medjugorje. I was there in 1987 and know, with all my heart that something very holy and supernatural is happening there. Anyone who has ever been there knows it too. We have all had different experiences there but it all leads to one place, a closer relationship with Jesus. through His Mom. She has never pointed to herself in any apparition, only to her Beloved Son.

In order for an apparition to be approved. The messages must be completed. Than the church will issue an approval or lack of approval.
June 24,1981 – June 24, 2014. That is 33 years of daily messages. They still happen daily. How many more messages?
Jesus spoke for 3 years and gave us the Gospel. Medjugorje 33 years and no stopping by the so called Mary.
Until silence comes no approval or or negative decision.
My suggestion to all pilgrimage people. Go to the Holyland for there Church approval is not necessary for mary was there and her words are recorded in scripture. My salvation depends on Jesus who gave me Mary as my mother from the cross as He was dying.

My wife and I have both been to Medjugorje, on separate pilgrimages. Long before we met each other. The fruits that I came away with were the urgency of prayer, the Mass and Adoration..I also had the rosary beads turn gold overnight, the miracle of the sun, but most important the peace of Jesus prominently instilled in my heart. I would not have married my wife had she not loved Jesus as she does. If the Church ruled against it I would be obedient. As of now I will truly keep the fruits I have received to further the Kingdom here on Earth.

i believe the heavenly visitations at Medjugorje are genuine spiritual experiences . . . as with any such “heavenly incursion into ‘our material world’ there are fuzzy areas . . areas where interpretation(even by the visionaries themselves)may be flawed or misunderstood . . the seeming discrepancies to me sem more to validate than to contradict the reality of these visitations . . although “The Church” (and i need to add here “we are also the church) has not stated a judgement one way or the other as yet . . and may never for that matter . . unless there is an official Church “condemnation” of the Medjugorje events and messages, better to immerse ourselves in the prayers and spirit of Medjugorje and of The Mother of God and “Mir” Peace (now more than ever) than to follow the path of antithesis or rail against it . .

My aunt recently came back from Medjugorje and she saw so many miracles there. She told me she cried for three days and plan to visit again next year. Before she went to Medjugorje she told me that people told her a lot of miracles that they saw but she said that she wasn’t convinced until she seen it with her own eyes. Now she came back and was a change person, she stop listening to her music and replace it with gospel music. She couldn’t stop talking about God and pray a lot more now than ever. She said she will fast too.

Medjugorje may be a true Marian apparition; it may be a demon appearing as an angel of light; it may be a mass delusion; or it may be a well-maintained fraud. People flock to Medjugorje hoping for an apparition or other experience, so, experientially, they are already halfway there, making many easily suggestible. But why go to Medjugorje at all? We have daily Masses all over the US and other Western nations. Confession is available wherever there are priests. Adoration is available in most locations and open to all. Parishes have groups devoted to the rosary and to other prayer. So why travel so far, at great expense, for something most of us can find at home? Is it curiosity, or the hope of personal experience, or the need for emotional stirring? Perhaps some pilgrims believe the alleged seers alleged holiness will rub off on them. Prayer, Mass, Confession, Adoration, fasting, can all be had at home. Why go to Medjugorje?

Undisputable good fruits like these numerous conversions doesn’t mean that the messages purportedly given by our Lady in Medjugorge are truly from Her.
There are too many message, by thousands, up to the point of becoming unaudible. Among them, some are suspicious regarding orthodoxy. And the local bishop don’t give his approval. Hmmmm

Please read the article by Bishop Zanic, “The Truth About Medjugorje.” Google it. It documents the lies, errors, disobedience, scandal and absurdities of the visions, visionaries and priests associated with it.

My wife and I went in late September 2008. There is no place like it on the face of the earth. I could write many pages about what happened to us there but I’m not sure I’d convince any skeptics nor affirm the faith of any believers who discount apparitions. So all I can say is go. If you do not believe for any reason go. Go and then come back and tell the world why it is a fraud. Go.

Genuine visionaries don’t write letters with messages allegedly from Our Lady threatening bishops with divine retribution if they don’t convert to the truth of the apparition. Genuine visionaries do not deliberately disobey the orders of their bishop to cease having their apparitions in public. Every single apparition in public is an act of disobedience to their local bishop and the Church.
Our Lady would never advise people and their children to keep to their own faiths when asked if different religions should convert to Catholicism. She would never endorse anyone to persist in heretical beliefs when they could embrace her son and the Church he founded. Funny how the early messages of the gospa before 1984 are difficult to find now on Medjugorje sites?

Spinning, disappearing, glowing crosses on hills are not going to get airplay at the commission of enquiry neither are rosaries changing colour or small scale sun phenomena. In saying that I also hope they’re not preternatural. If hundreds of people in my local parish prayed, did penance and made sincere confessions before receiving the body and blood of Our Lord there would be an explosion of love, grace and vocations. We’d be swimmin’ in Mir! Geography doesn’t matter, Our Lord converts people in nightclubs and gulags. People get “the call” at the beach and or on the street. C.S. Lewis became a christian while sitting in a bus.Edith Stein read one book in an afternoon and decided that Catholicism was true.

As for “Mir”. If I told someone that my house was haunted as it was the scene of a grisly murder, in the majority of cases they would be predisposed to feel afraid, nervous and creeped out. If people are strongly conditioned to feel they are going to experience HUGE peace in a place then by gum they are going to get it. Peace happens when people make a worthy pilgrimage. I got a lovely sense of Mir in Lourdes of all places. Mind you I also know that true peace comes directly from the sacraments and leading a holy life. Medjugorje doesn’t have the monoply on mir, the only difference being Our Lady actually appeared in Lourdes and there is a miraculous spring that Bernadette herself dug up before onlookers. The tilma of Guadalupe, the miracle of the sun witnessed by 40, 000 and told in advance by the children. These are heavenly signs: they are unmistakable. God isn’t stingy with heavenly signs when he wants to convince the local bishop that His mother is calling in person. He certainly doesn’t wait for over 30years or expect a bishop to approve without a direct and unquestionable sign from Him.
One question. If the apparitions can’t be positively authenticated until they end why is the church holding a commission of enquiry now? Why is the Church expected to make a definitive pronouncement this year?

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